Children's Experiences of Fun and Enjoyment During a Season of Sport Education

Abstract

This paper reports on a 16-week sport education (SE) unit with just over 70 year 5 students (M age = 10.04 years) in one United Kingdom school during the spring and summer terms and discusses students' SE experiences. Student interviews were conducted throughout the season and a questionnaire on different motivation aspects was administered prior to and before completing the SE season. We report and examine the data in relation to hypothesized influences on fun and enjoyment, including being part of a team, autonomy, and improving game play. The principal reasons SE may be more enjoyable than previous physical education lessons include the greater opportunities for autonomy, affiliation, and competition, plus perceived learning.

Key words:

• Autonomy
• Motivation
• Perceived competence

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ann MacPhail

Please address all correspondence concerning this article to Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Ann MacPhail, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.